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Parent/Student Handbook

2017-2018 School Year

Welcome to the Independent Learning Academy! We are very

happy to have your family be part of our homeschooling

program. ILA is dedicated to providing your students with an

exceptional academic, elective, and community experience.

We look forward to partnering with you to create a happy,

memorable, and educationally fulfilling experience for your

children.

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Table of Contents

ILA Team page 3 -4

Mission and Vision page 5

ILA Leadership page 6-7

Policies page 8-10

Rules and Regulations page 11-14

Guidelines page 14-15

Expectations of Students page 16-17

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ILA Team

Lesley Russell

Founder and Executive Director

Independent Learning Academy Aliso Viejo

lrussell@ila210.org

949-680-0468

Teresa Baker

Director

Independent Learning Academy Carlsbad

tbaker@ila210.org

714-315-7252

Farida Hsu

Academic Coordinator

fhsu@ila210.org

Laura Blackann

Lead Coordinator for Campus and Monitoring Program

Campus Coordinator—Monday Mornings

lblackann@yahoo.com

202-365-0107

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ILA Campus Coordinators

Kimberley Hart

Campus Coordinator—Monday Afternoons

kimberleyhart@yahoo.com

949-981-3954

Amy Junge

Campus Coordinator—Wednesday Mornings

jungea@mac.com

949-300-4876

Sara Hanna

Campus Coordinator—Wednesday Afternoons

sara_hanna@me.com

949-306-8096

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Mission and Vision The Independent Learning Academy is a ministry that is available to the homeschooling

community to embrace. Its purpose and intent is to raise up and equip the next

generation to fulfill their individual God-given purposes and to become leaders in their

community making a difference in people’s lives. Through our engaging academic

classes, enriching elective programs, and outreach ministries we come along side you

and your family to partner together to make an exceptional and memorable educational

experience for your children that will make a lasting impact on their lives.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

Next Generation Ministries

Independent Learning Academy is a part of Next Generation Ministries which is a 501

(c) 3 non-profit corporation founded by Joe and Lesley Russell that was created to

support and equip the next generation to fulfill all of their God-given purposes. The

Independent Learning Academy (ILA) is a homeschooling private satellite program

(PSP) that schedules excellent core and elective classes for our students taught by

independently contracted teachers who are very dedicated and specialized in their

course of study. Our school community is created by our families coming together and

participating in our engaging activities, outreaches, events and monitoring program. All

non-charter, charter, and PSP students are able to register for our classes. Next

Generation Ministries is also a chartering entity for Trail Life Troop 7401 and American

Heritage Girls CA Troop 0019, which meet Monday evenings at our Coast Hills Church, Aliso Viejo, venue.

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ILA Leadership

Lesley Russell, Founder and Executive Director, has home-schooled her

four children for the past 12 years. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Gettysburg

College and a Master’s in Secondary Education from Manhattanville College. Lesley

taught middle school Language Arts in both Bedford and Chappaqua, NY. Prior to

teaching, she worked in corporate America selling pharmaceutical and reconstructive

surgical plating equipment in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island, NY where she met her

husband, Joe, of 25 years. Her greatest moments in life were when she asked Christ to

be her Lord and Savior, marrying her husband, and being blessed with her four beautiful

children. Lesley has always enjoyed working with the youth. For 16 years while raising

her family, she volunteered in youth ministry in Connecticut, Georgia, and California

where she and her family have lived for the past eight years. Lesley is the founder of the

Independent Learning Academy, co-founder with her husband, Joe, of Next Generation

Ministries, and Charter Head of both Trail Life Troop 7401 and American Heritage Girls

Troop CA 0019. She loves, honors, and deeply appreciates these ministries where her husband, children, and she have been serving over the past seven years.

Teresa Baker, Carlsbad Director, is going on her 10th year of home-schooling

her four children. She and Brian have been married for 17 years and both of them

surrendered their life to Jesus Christ on September 28, 2007. Teresa has a Bachelor of

Arts in Liberal Studies from California State Fullerton. After Teresa first got saved, she

taught the Bible at a Christian Montessori school as well as served in children’s and

mother’s ministries at her church. She also taught a Good News Club in Orange County

in conjunction with serving with Lesley Russell in 2014-2015 as Lead Monitoring

Coordinator of ILA Aliso Viejo. Teresa and her family moved to Oceanside in 2015 after

six years of seeking God’s will for their family. After prayer and a time of waiting on the

Lord, ILA Oceanside opened up for the 2015-2016 school year with Teresa as the

director. After more prayer and seeking the Lord, ILA Carlsbad was birthed replacing

ILA Oceanside. Teresa is thankful to God that she can home-school her children with

full support from her husband. She loves the connection with other home-schooling families and that the ILA community is a huge part of her family’s home-schooling days.

Farida Hsu, Academic Coordinator, has been involved at ILA since its

inception as a co-op at the Russell’s home. She has been a partner in this ministry

volunteering currently as the ILA Academic Coordinator. She assists Lesley in all the

processes that leads to the creation of the ILA Fall and Spring Academic Schedule as

posted on the ILA website. This includes decisions on class offerings and potential

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teachers’ interviews. Farida grew up in Southern California. As a Trojan, she considers

cardinal and gold her school spirit. She ventured to New York City to experience “the

East Coast life” through her graduate business education. After over a decade of business

experience in corporate finance, planning and product development, she was called to

focus on the rearing of her children and their education. Grateful to God for the

opportunity to homeschool her children, she hopes ILA is and will continue to be a

blessing to the community as it has been to her family.

Laura Blackann, Lead Coordinator for Campus and Monitoring

Program, has had the privilege of homeschooling her children for five years. She has

a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Westmont College. Laura worked on

Capitol Hill for 7 years as a Press Secretary and Communications Director for two

members of the House of Representatives. It was in DC that she met and married her

husband Trevor. After the birth of their first child, and unhappy with the crowded

preschool options on Capitol Hill, Laura and some other moms decided to start a

preschool, staffed almost entirely by parents. Laura and her family moved to California

five years ago, after first spending two years in the Denver, Colorado area where their 3rd

child was born. She currently serves as a leader in the Bible memory club AWANA at her

church, loves teaching her children history, walking them through art museums, putting

sketch books in their hands, and reading aloud to them. For four years, Laura and her

children have been a part of the ILA community and it has been her joy and privilege to

serve the incredible teachers and families here for three years.

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The rules, regulations, and policies contained in this handbook

are reflective of and supported by our non-profit corporation’s,

Next Generation Ministries, Statement of Faith. They are not

arbitrary but in alignment with the values outlined in this

statement in conduct, behavior, and fiduciary responsibility of

students, families, and teachers.

Policies

• Classes: ILA offers exceptional classes taught by very dedicated and talented

teaching professionals. In order to maintain this high caliber teaching level of

devoted instructors, families are responsible for payment of these 16 week classes

even if you choose to drop a class. Charter schools will not pay out

instructional funds for dropped classes, so the expense of the

remaining class fees will have to be incurred by the family not the

charter school. It is the fiduciary responsibility of each family to be in proper

financial standing with their teachers. Neglect or violation of this will result

in family not being able to register for the next semester of classes until

payment is made unless there are extenuating circumstances that

would need to be discussed and approved by the ILA Director.

• On Time Payment: The balance of cash payment for classes must be received by

the teacher before the start of the registered class. If paying for the class with

instructional funding then a request for a purchase order must be submitted to the

student’s designated charter.

• Monitoring: Every family at ILA contributes an equal amount of time

supporting our homeschooling program. Each parent must volunteer for 12

hours per semester. This is not an optional suggestion but a necessity and a

requirement to maintain the best care and provision for our learning environment.

If monitoring hours are not completed in a semester after attempts and

communication to the family has been made, then the family will not

be able to register for the next semester or school year unless there are

extenuating circumstances that need to be discussed and approved by

the Monitoring Coordinator and ILA Director. Monitors will have the

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option to supervise study hall, front desk checking in and checking out of students

and parents, recess supervision, setting up and breaking down of classrooms, social event coordination, rotating K-3rd graders, and monitoring hallways.

• Parent/Teacher Communication: The teachers at ILA are very hard working

and dedicated to providing the best educational experience for your students.

However, if a question or a concern should arise, parents are asked to first voice

this question, comment, or concern with the teacher before emailing or contacting

the campus director. The first line of communication should be done

directly with the teacher. If after initiating and discussing the question or

concern with the teacher, the parent feels that more information is needed or the

issue was not handled or addressed to their satisfaction then the campus

administrator will intercede to answer and or resolve any questions or concerns.

• ILA Student/Teacher Portal: All families will be communicating and

interacting with their ILA teachers and administrators through our new Praxi

School Management Portal.

• Sick or Distressed Children: Our policy at ILA is that children who are either

feeling ill or who are emotionally upset to the point of tears, parents will be

notified and asked to speak to their children. If the child is ill the parent will be

asked to come care for them. If the child is upset and crying due to separation

from parent, it will be up to the parent to determine and decide as to whether or

not the child will be sent back to class or if they will bring the child home. Please

keep children with fevers, persistent coughs, and runny noses at home to get well.

A child must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to the campus.

• Allergies: No peanut products are allowed on campus or tree nuts

during classroom snack time or parties with the exception of ILA

baking and cooking classes that students have chosen to sign up for.

Tree nuts may be consumed during lunch/recess and when outside.

We do have students who have fatal peanut allergies. These students do have an

Epipen that is available for emergencies.

• Students with Food Allergies and Epipens: For those students with life

threatening allergies, especially younger K-3 students, who are staying for lunch,

precautions need to be taken and the best course of action determined. ILA

Director, Lesley Russell, needs to be contacted before the first day of school, so that

the best and safest decisions can be made for that student at lunch time. It may be

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decided that the best and safest course of action is for you, the parent, to remain

on campus with your child during lunch time. ILA is a peanut free campus.

Tree nuts are allowed at lunch time/recess but NOT in the classroom

setting with the exception of our baking and cooking classes.

• Bullying and Fighting: Any form of bullying or fighting will not be tolerated.

The parent will be notified and the child will have to leave the campus for the rest

of the day. If this occurs during the lunch/recess time either temporary or

permanent loss of recess and lunch privileges may result. If the problem persists

with that child and continual episodes occur, that student will have to leave the ILA

program. All classes that the registered student was attending will not be refunded.

• Vandalism: Coast Hills has graciously opened up their beautiful campus for our

children’s enjoyment and enrichment. Any form of malicious or intentional harm

to the church property will result in immediate dismissal from the ILA program. All classes that the student was attending will not be refunded.

• Parents Driving in the Parking Lot: Coast Hills parking lot is a shared parking

lot with St. Mary’s school. There are many students and families going back and

forth across the parking lot to their respective buildings. Conscientious and slow intentional driving is expected at all times.

• High School Students Driving in the Parking Lot: Responsible and

conscientious driving is expected of all students and families. Reckless or

dangerous driving including high speeds, lack of control of car, and texting will

result in loss of driving privileges onto our venue’s property. A meeting between

the ILA student driver, the student’s parents, and the Director will result with

discussion of consequences which may include revoking of driving privileges therefore parent needing to drive student to school or dismissal from the program.

• Registration: When registering in our program, we require, as does the law, that

both parents be in consent. If one of the legal parents is not in consent then

registration can only be granted with a court order approving registration.

• Church Offices: All copying must be done on your own and not through the copy

machines at Coast Hills Church. The church has expressed this to us as well. Any

needs should be communicated to the ILA Director not the church staff.

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Rules and Regulations

• Study Hall: ILA supports its families by providing study hall options for parents.

Parents can choose either Community Study Hall or Quiet Study Hall for their

children. Community Study Hall allows children to work with other children on

school projects and/or play educational games together such as chess. Students

must maintain a low talking level. Quiet Study Hall is working independently on

school work with no talking. All students whether in Community or Quiet Study

Hall must be productive either studying, playing an educational game, silent

reading, quietly coloring if a younger student. No electronic devices are

permitted except for educational purposes and for all K-8th grade

students, it must be done on either a tablet or PC, not a smart phone. If

a student is working on a project from their computer programming or

game class they must ask special permission from the monitor to do

this. The monitor will be circulating during study hall making sure that only

educational sites are in use. Sharing of videos, music, Instagram, and any social

media is not permitted during this time. Please help your child be successful in

study hall by sharing guidelines and having students attend the study hall that fits

best for their needs being either Community Study Hall or Quiet Study Hall.

• Attending Classes: Students are expected to attend all classes. Classes may

not be skipped for any reason. If a student is feeling ill while at the campus,

he is to go to his designated class and inform the teacher. The teacher will contact

the campus administrator and the student’s parent will be notified to have the

student return home. If a class is intentionally skipped, the student will be asked

to contact his parent to go home for that day. If this behavior pattern continues

parents and administrators will discuss what the next best steps are for this

particular student.

• Timeliness to Classes: Students are encouraged to go directly to designated

class and not linger in hallways or study hall. Classes need to start on time so please

be mindful and respectful of your teachers and fellow classmates. Attendance will

be taken online at the beginning of class.

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• No Excessive Talking in Class: Respect for your teacher and fellow students is

essential. Teachers’ rules regarding appropriate tone, volume, and timing of

conversations must be followed and adhered to at all times.

• Remaining in Study Hall or Class: Students must be either in classroom,

study hall, or at recess outside. There is no roaming the halls or walking into or

through church offices. Only high school students may study during class time on

the front patio or 8th grade students who take all high school classes. High school

students must have their student ID badge on them when going out front to study

and when signing out for the day at the front desk.

• Dress Code: Students are to make modest choices when selecting their clothing

to wear to the campus. Inappropriate attire, anything excessively short, immodest

or improperly worn, will result in contacting the parent. The student will not be

permitted to attend their classes until proper clothing has been provided by the

parent.

• Menacing Attire: Any attire that is dark, menacing, or ominous will not be

allowed. Our program serves a K-12 community and is governed by our Statement

of Faith that desires to create an environment that reflects peace, love, and

tranquility for all students attending.

• Bathroom Use: Men and Women’s restrooms are designated for biological

gender usage only. They are also to be used respectfully. Any improper use of the

restrooms may result in dismissal from the ILA program.

• Cell Phone Use: All K-8th grade students may not use cell phones during school

day but may use them only to communicate with parent or guardian.

• Inappropriate Language and Discussions: Any use of profanity/swearing or

inappropriate topics of conversation that causes a student distress is not allowed.

This behavior will result in a meeting with the Director and parents.

• Sharing of Inappropriate Media/Video/Photo: Sharing of any

inappropriate media, video or photos is not allowed.

• Selling of merchandise on campus: There is no selling of any items by any

student other than for a school, club, or scouting fundraiser.

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• Illicit Drugs, Unauthorized Prescription Medicine, Alcohol, Tobacco:

Any use, selling, or carrying of illicit drugs, unauthorized prescription medication,

alcohol, tobacco or marijuana will result in immediate dismissal from the ILA

program.

• Weapons and Firearms: No weapons or firearms are permitted. If any are

dismissal from the ILA program will result.

• Designated Eating Areas: To help keep our venue clean and to abide by the

rules of both ILA and Coast Hills, we have designated certain areas for eating. For

lunch and recess all food is to be eaten outside on hardscape areas. There is also

a scheduled snack time where food that is easily consumed and not messy may be

eaten during the snack time in class. There is no eating or drinking of

anything other than water in the main lobby.

• Head Lice: Lice can be a very common occurrence with both children and adults.

It can be contracted at school, at camp, overnights, on vacation, sharing bike

helmets, hats, hairbrushes, taking selfies, going to the movies, airplanes, etc. It

does not discriminate and anyone can get it. Therefore we need to help our

children with the stigma associated with it and be willing to share with others

whom our child has been around when it occurs. The ILA policy is to contact the

Director, Lesley Russell, at lrussell@ila210.org and let her know the grade of your

child and when the lice was discovered. Next you need to contact the teachers of

the classes that your child is registered in so they can let the other families know so

that their children can be checked before returning to the campus. The Campus

Director will send out a campus email and let the ILA community know the grade

of the student affected and will ask everyone to check their children. After the

second application or official recheck of the lice treatment, the student

can return to their classes at ILA. Below are two of many companies who will

come to your house and check for lice for $10 or $20 and will then apply the lice

application for your child. Lice can be a stressful discovery but these professionals

can help lift that burden along with our communication to our children of the

commonplace of its occurrence.

1. Laguna Beach Clear: www.lagunabeachclear.com . Contact is Marcela at 310-

998-7440. They will give a 10% off treatment for Independent Learning

Academy Students.

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2. Simple Head Lice Solutions: www.simpleheadlicesolutions.com

• Lost and Found Items: Please mark all of your children’s items such as

backpacks, lunch thermoses, water bottles, and sweatshirts. We will contact you

and let you know that they were left behind. We are only able to hold onto Lost and

Found items for one month before donating them. We have very limited space to

store them. Please help us by checking that your children have all of their personal

items before leaving the campus for the day and by clearly marking them with.

Guidelines

• Parking: Coast Hills allows St. Mary’s School to utilize their parking lot at certain

hours. Please park in the left side lot when facing the main entrance of the church.

Between 7:45-8:15am Pursuit is closed to left hand turns into the church. You need

to instead turn onto Liberty which you may reach first or second depending on

which direction you come from. This street will bring you back onto Pursuit, but

from the opposite direction, so you’ll be making a right hand turn into the church.

Another time of traffic in the parking lot is from 2:45-3pm when St. Mary’s School

ends. All other times of the day there is minimal traffic in the parking lot.

• Check In/Check Out: Check in begins at 8:15am on Mondays and Wednesdays

to ensure that all first morning classes start on time. All K-5th grade parents

must check in their students. All 6-12th grade students may check

themselves in, but only parents are allowed to CHECK OUT their

students grades K-8. Siblings are not permitted to check in or check

out brothers or sisters. High School students grades 9-12 and 8th grade

students who are taking all high school level classes are allowed to sign

themselves out with parental consent. Parents can consent to this by

purchasing an ILA Security Lanyard for their student to be shown to

the Front Desk Monitor at the time of check out.

• Parents Remaining on Campus: Parents are welcomed to stay on campus;

however, there are certain guidelines accompanying this. If you are leaving with

your child but plan to return, you need to sign him out and then sign him back in

before the start of his next class. Also, while classes are going on you are invited to

participate in Monday’s Mom’s Bible Study or be outside on the side playground

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where we eat lunch or the front patio. Please do not sit in the hallways because the

volume could be distracting to teachers and students in the classrooms. Younger

children must be supervised at all times and not left alone in the

hallways or on the playground unattended. All visitors must sign in and get

a visitor pass to be displayed at all times.

• Snack Time: This is at the end of first period before second period. Please pack

something quick and manageable to eat like apple slices, granola bar (peanut

and nut free), grapes, sports bar etc. NO tree nut products or peanuts during

classroom snack time. Tree nuts are allowed at lunch time but not in a classroom

with the exception of our baking and cooking classes. Please do not pack any wet

substances like yogurt that could stain carpeting. High School students can have a

snack as well at the start of their second period class.

• Water Bottles: Please have your child bring water bottles that have a sport’s top

to help avoid spills on desks, floors, and school work.

• Lunch time/Recess: There will be check-in and check-out before lunch

and after lunch but not during the lunch period from 12:001pm.

Monitors will be on the playgrounds to help supervise the children. Lunch will be

eaten outside. On inclement days lunch and recess will be held in room 101. K-3rd

grades will be held on the small playground, 4-6th grades on the basketball court,

7-12th grades on the front patio.

• Chapel: Chapel will be held once a month for all K-12th grade students. Its

purpose provides us with a time to come together in prayer and praise for all that

God has blessed us with in our lives and in our school. There are opportunities to

earn gift cards and prizes with various scripture memory events. This is a time of

devotion, sharing, praying and praising. We will have chapel for all students who

are attending lunch and recess for that day. Students will have time to eat lunch

outside before coming in to attend chapel. All recess monitors will help to oversee

chapel in the designated rooms. Parents are invited and welcomed to join us.

• ILA Weekly Newsletter: Every week the ILA Director will send out a weekly

communication letting families know how to prepare for the next week of school

and what events and opportunities are coming up and important campus updates,

news, and communications. It is important to open up this newsletter and to read

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it, so to stay in touch with our ILA community events, our homeschooling program

and to prepare your child successfully for the next week at school.

Expectations of Students

We expect all children to be respectful to their teachers, administrators, and their

peers.

We expect all students to come to class with their assignments completed.

We expect all students to follow the rules of our school, their teachers, and not to

be disruptive with speech or behavior in their classroom.

We expect parents and students to familiarize themselves with the information

presented in this handbook and to follow all polices, rules, and guidelines.

We expect all dress code guidelines to be followed.

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL OR PHYSICAL NEEDS OF CHILDREN

Being a private homeschooling program, we do not have the resources on our own to

meet any medical, educational, or physical needs of children who may have certain

health or educational needs. We are a community made up of homeschooling parents.

We do not have any medical staff that is present at our venue. For this reason any child

who has any life threatening illnesses, allergies, behavioral or educational needs that

require any specific and detailed accommodations must first be shared with the ILA

Director and ILA Team before registering for classes, so to assess the best course of

action for the child and our program.

The Handling of Disciplinary Correction:

ILA views most school and school yard discipline issues as teachable moments for

children on their journey into adulthood. The administrative team, made up of the

Director, campus coordinators, and Academic Coordinator will address these issues in a

Christ-like manner to resolve them. If the situation warrants, the ILA Director, Lesley

Russell, will schedule a meeting with the parents and students. Parents are expected

to be at these meetings to have the issue resolved before the student can

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return to their next class where the incident occurred or to recess if the said

incident occurred during that time. Meetings with the Director will most

likely be scheduled either before school at 8:00am or during lunch at

12:00pm.

Please note that ILA is not a remediated program for students with severe behavioral

needs that need either school intervention/support or psychological

management/counseling. There are no medical nurses nor trained personnel equipped

to manage or give counsel to behavioral needs that may require professional care. If we

feel that a child is in need of this type of care, we may suggest alternate programs that

have the professional care to best meet the needs of the student and family.

ILA reserves the right to object to and react to any behavior or situation that is contrary

or antithetical to Next Generation Ministries’ Statement of Faith, Coast Hills Church

venue lease, Carlsbad Community Church venue lease, or any behavior from family

members or students that impair our ability to function or that we are not professionally

equipped to handle. We reserve the right to suspend, expel, or unenroll any student, or

revoke any ILA privilege such as lunch/recess/study hall to any student whom the

Director, Lesley Russell, and her ILA leadership team or Next Generation Ministries

Board feels is a threat to any student, family, teacher, or administrator or any student

whom the Director, the ILA team or Next Generation Ministries board has had either

repeated or severe violations of the rules, policies, or procedures contained in this

handbook or any student whose behavior is in need of professional care and intervention

that our homeschool program does not provide. Class tuitions and ILA program fees will

not be refunded to any family whose son or daughter has been suspended, expelled, or

unenrolled from the ILA program.

The policies, rules, regulations, and guidelines in the handbook are for the

safety, health, and well-being for all of our students and their families. We

look forward to an amazing year and feel incredibly blessed that you have

chosen to be a part of our homeschooling program. We look forward to

partnering with you to create a rewarding and inspiring environment for

your children to thrive and learn in.